Socket for pit props



Feb. 21, 1950 c. ALLIMANN SOCKET FOR PIT PROPS Filed Feb. 4, 1949 O INVENTOR @02 2; 4zz/A/4A/M BY Ki 44 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 21, 1950 Application February 4, 1949, Serial No. l"4;689 In Switzerland Fehruarylfi, 1948 -7 Claims. (Cl. 248I357,)

This invention relates to improvements in or relatingtozsockets for pit props. As is known, in present-'day minmgpracticeas urn-1e only the immediate working sites are protected against :collapse by supporting the roof by means of appropriate frames which generally consist of wooden cross-pieces arranged in layers, in which are incorporated steel sockets. These are: so constructed as .to make possible subsequent collapse-of the frame under-pressure of theearth. For this purpose these sockets :consist at leastbf two wedge members mounted .slidably one above the other, which are releasably connected in the use position by a coupling rod so that by releasing the coupling, the upper wedge member,

under its own "weight and the pressure bearing pnzit, slidessdown on the oblique face of the lower wedge member with corresponding acceleration, andthecross gpiecescarried thereby and the whole frame-work collapse. In -.order to prevent undesired premature automatic release of the coupling, :for instance when the sockets are worn, the coupling rod is locked by a special locking imember against :an upward movement, leading to uncoupling, of the :head of the :couplin rod y which projects from the front z-face of the upper wedge member.

In .a known form of construction this looking'memberzconsists-iofla barpassing into a guidewayin the upper wedge .memberabove the -couplingsrod. In :order to release the locking'device, this bar must first be withdrawn before the-couplingirod can :be lifted by a blow on the under- .side :of the projecting head of the coupling rod, which can .:be delivered :by means of a suitable tool from :a :safe distance from socket in question so that the operator .is not involved in the subsequent collapse of theiframel Since,however, as already .mentioned, particularly with :worn rsoc'kets DI' W-lfih very high pressure, an :automa'tic release Poi the coupling on failure. of the locking lies within the region of possibility, the sibove-mentioned unlocking'procedure is of course associated with the danger of an immediately dollowin'g undesired :uncoupling. Withdrawal of the said bar which is necessary for unlocking, which may be rendered almost impossible by aeventualpressure on the coupling rod, means that the "bar 'must "be grasped directly by the hand of the operator, so that the latter must remain dura ing this process in the immediate "neighbourhood finginvdlved in a subsequent collapse of the frame due "to an immediately following undesired un mounted one above the other, which fife-11916818- ably coupled together ln the use position Ibyxa one and thesame operatmn. The accompanying drawings show an embodiment :by way :of example of the invention, which embodiment also possesses further advantages compared :to the known method :of construction as will'be :seen zirom the description which .afollows;

.In thexdrawings,

$1 1ShOWSifl-SidB view of thetsocke't in median section intheuseposition,

Fig. 2 shows :a side view z-a'fter uncoupling has taken "place :and the :upper wedge member has slid down, and r :Fig. 13 shows a plan view corresponding-to Fig. partly in Esection.

Referring new to Fig. 1, the lower wedge unember' ll :set'Jon the :beam l 'fcarrim :on -its oblique wedge iface 8 the "upper wedge member :4 which rests with its oblique margins 5 on the :said slideway 3. Asmay be seen from Fig. 3 the slideway '3 is pierced by a central longitudinal slot at which 'is bridged overin its upper partby "the cross piece 1. In this slot 6 the coupling rod *8 '"is mounted to "rock in a vertical plane about a "securing bolt #l'bymeans "of its own bearing eye H. "l heib'olt 9 is mounted in the bearing eyes 'IO provided in the rear of th'e'lower part "2. This bearing eye M offthe c'ouplingrodzll "is provided above'wi'thanose l Ii, which co-operates with "the rear side oi the crosspiec'e L I The floor r: of the upper "wedge member t is provided in median longitudinal section (see Fig.

3) with a guideway f3 which-extendspartlyalso into the "rear wall 14 "and "through "which the :cou-

pling fIOfl"'8 passes. "Theend'ofthe coupling and *8 is providedwith aheadii The slot "6 *an'd the opening 13 are made narrower than the head "I 5 so "that in {the position of the parts shown in ond-8, the head se-fives to :retain the upper *60 wedge memberd. I

The front face 16 of the upper wedge member 4 is provided below with two projecting lugs 11 which form a co tinuation of the boundary walls of the s'lot"|2 and the front edges ll of which in the use position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 form an abutment for the shoulders 15' of the head 15, so that in the position shown in Fig. i the two wedge members 2 and 4 are coupled by the coupling rod 8 and thereby the upper wedge memher 4 is prevented from sliding down.

On the front face l6 two bearing eyes 18 are arranged symmetrical to the slot l2, between which eyes is disposed a locking member l9 pivoted to a bolt I8, which locking member in the position shown in Fig-"1 is supported in compression in a slotted depression'formed in the lower end of the head iii of the coupling rod. The head I is provided in the area of the slotted supporting part with an opening 20 in which is inserted a bolt-shaped control member 2| which can be raised and depressed therein. The control member 2! lies under its own weight with its upper head on an intermediate collar 22 in the opening 20 and projects with its lower head from the lower face of the head l5. As can be seen it is so formed that on being driven up through the opening 20 it forces the locking member is out of engagement with the head l5 of the coupling rod.

' If then, starting from the use position shown in Fig. 1, a blow is struck on the lower side of the head 15, then this operation first drives up the control member 2! and thereby drives up the looking member l9, whereby the coupling rod 8 is released. When the control member 2| has been fully driven in. the blow acts directly on the lower face of the head 15 whereby the couplingrod is rocked upwards about the bolt 9. As a-result the shoulders I5 of the head l5'are withdrawn from the lugs l1 whereby coupling between the two wedge members 2 and 4 is released. The upper wedge member 4, as a result of its own weight, and of the pressure of the prop resting on its top face 23, slides down over the slideway 3 with a corresponding acceleration, and is arrested with the rear wall I4 and the parts of the floor 12' adjacent the slot 13 against the said shoulders l5 of the head 15, so that .the upper wedge member 4 must remain in the immediate neighbourhood of the lower wedge member 2, and

known constructions of previous sockets, be hurled far the kinetic energy acquired in its ing and thus be lost and lead to risks.- It has been found that even connecting the two wedge members together by a chain as a precautionagainst this hurling away is not sufficient, since in certain circumstances such a chain can be broken.

' In order now to protect the bolt 9, to which the coupling rod 8 is secured, against deformation or eventual shearing when large pressures arise, the bolt 9 is relieved of load by the nose H bearing against the rear edge of the cross piece I of the lower wedge member 2 when the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 2 and made so massive that it can take up all the forces arising without overstressing. This is also of importance because the bolt 9 serves also for other purposes, namely for connecting the two adjacent sockets by means of a distance rod, so that the bolt 9 is also exposed to other forces. In this case, however, the cross piece 1 also serves as the upper limit of the rearward opening in the wedge member 3 and can thus serve as an abutment for the nose ll of the bearing eye H.- v

3. This nose I! is .775 arranged that in; its

As may be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the lower wedge member may be provided adjacent the slideway 3 with an upwardly projecting flange 23 in order to receive the collapsing parts of the framework without damage to the coupling rod 8.

I claim:

1. In a socket for a pit prop comprising two wedge members slidably mounted one above the other, said members releasably coupled together in the use position by a coupling rod which after release of the locking member is movable into the uncoupling position by raising the head of the coupling rod, said coupling rod projecting from the front face of the upper wedge member, the head of the said coupling rod provided with a control member, said control member cooperating with a locking member and projecting from the underside of the head of the coupling rod when the locking member is engaged, the whole arrangement being such that by striking a blow on the underside of the head the coupling rod is first unlocked by driving up the control member and thereafter the coupling is disengaged.

2. A socket as claimed in claim 1, the upper end of the said locking member linked to the front face of the upper wedge member and sup ported in compression in the locking position with itsdlower end on the head of the said coupling ro 3. A socket as claimed in claim 1, the opening in the rear wall and in the floor of the said upper wedge member through which the said coupling rod passes, being narrower than the head of the said coupling rod, so that when the coupling is released the head serves to retain the upper wedge member.

4. A socket as claimed in claim 1, the opening in the rear wall of the said lower wedge member through which the said coupling rod passes, so bounded by an abutment member, and the bear ing eye of the said coupling rod, through which the securing bolt passes, provided with a nose, said nose so proportioned and arranged that if any deformation of the securing bolt takes place the said nose of the coupling rod bears against the abutment member and thus relieves the bolt of load.

5. A socket as claimed in claim 1, the" said lower wedge member provided adjacent the slideway for the upper wedge member with an upwardly projecting protective flange, in order to arrest collapsing parts of the frame. without damage to the coupling rod; 1

6. In a socket for a pit prop comprising two wedge members slidably mounted one above the other, said members releasably coupled together in the use position by a coupling rod which after release of the locking member; is movableinto the uncoupling position by raisins the head of the coupling rod said coupling rod projecting from the front face of the upper wedge member, the head of the said coupling rod provided with a. control member, said control member cooperating with a locking member and projecting from the underside of the head of the coupling rod when the locking member is engaged, the upper end of the said locking member linked to the front face of the upper wedge member and supported in compression in the locking position with its lower end on the head of the said coupling rod, this head of the coupling rod provided with an opening in the region of the place of support, the said controlmember projecting from below into said opening andbeing so constructed and unlocking motion through control member co-operating with the lower end of the locking member.

GEORGES ALLIMANN.

The following references are 6 REFERENCES CITED of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date OBryan Dec. 8, 1931 Cookson May 17, 1932 Sylvester July 23, 1940 

